Sergeyiv Posad

Some friends from church invited us to see Sergeyic Posad with them, and we jumped at the chance.  It is the site of an Orthodox monastery and a variety of beautiful churches.  We stopped for some pastries once we got inside (we needed some sustenance!), walked through several of the churches, and then had lunch at a touristy restaurant across the street (with some of the worst golubsti I've ever had) before heading back home.

 Brandon said that someone considered holy had died that week and these monks were praying over his grave.  There were quite a lot of people there to pay their respects.  (And I am totally having a male acappella group number sung at my grave when I die.)

On our way home, our driver, Alexander, told us about a little place that made his favorite donuts in Moscow.  So of course we had to stop to get some!  It was a little shop next to a gas station which, as far as I could tell, only sold various forms of fried things.  It was an open kitchen with a giant vat of dough in the middle, and video screens about the cash registers showing what the cooks were doing in the back.  The donuts came in orders of five so we got fifteen, which was a little excessive.  They put them in a brown paper bag, put a little powdered sugar in with them and shook the bag up.  They were hot, greasy, and reminiscent of fry bread.  Ending the day with donuts always makes it a win!

Women's Day

Women's Day is an official holiday here, so no work or school!  The day started a little rough when we encountered a super aggressive guy dressed up as Masha while we were wandering around Old Arbat.  But the mirror maze we went through afterwards was awesome!  Each of us ran into a mirror at various points, thinking we were walking towards each other.  We had to hold hands so we wouldn't lose anyone and after a while we just picked G2 up because she kept running into mirrors.  But it was so fun!  We would definitely do that one again!

Then we went to a Georgian restaurant Brandon had been excited to take me to, and it was delicious!  The girls and I each received a Women's Day tulip from the wait staff.  BG and G2 were thrilled!  But I think the kids' favorite part was visiting the rabbits in the courtyard after we were done eating.

The rest of the day was pretty low-key, but it included a torte from Brandon, a card from BG, and a popcorn popper from everyone.  (I had really missed popcorn.)

Happy Women's Day!

Russian Grocery Shopping 101

Our experience in Moscow is different in almost every way from the last time we lived here: we have kids, an income, a driver, we live farther from the center, and it's winter.  (I think I have mentioned this before, but in case I haven't--it's devil cold here.)  Nothing sums up the differences better than grocery shopping.

Ten years ago:  We walked to one of the many corner markets and bought as much food and water as we could carry.  Grocery shopping happened almost every day in small doses.

Now: We have the option of walking to one of the many corner markets, and do every so often, but most of the time we ask our driver to take us to one of the big grocery stores.
One that's big enough for a full-size grocery cart.
One that's nearly as big as the grocery stores we used in the US.
One that has an entire aisle just for chocolate.

I had all three kids with me during my first time going grocery shopping after we moved here, so I knew it needed to be quick.  But I didn't have a 10 ruble coin in order to use a grocery cart, so that meant pushing around hand baskets while wrangling my wandering two-year old and two bored kids.  And stopping to use google translate to figure out the spices I needed.  And grabbing any prepackaged fruit and vegetables I could find so I wouldn't have to use the scale and waste time trying to find the right item on the computer.  And mostly not being able to find anything on my grocery list, but getting enough to survive for a few days.

The cashier checked us out and handed me a small receipt with just a barcode on it.  Then we walked over to a machine to scan the barcode, pay, and get the actual receipt. Then we took our receipt to the exit to scan its barcode at another machine in order for the doors to open so we could leave. Somehow I figured it all out on the first try without any problems.  In the end, we made it through the grocery store without any major conflicts and everyone keeping their cool.  And we also got some food.  Success!

Of course, when we went back a few days later, it was pretty awful: I forgot my 10 ruble coin, the kids were sniping or wandering away, I couldn't find anything I needed, and so we ended up leaving pretty fast.  But it took me just as long to figure out how to pay as it did to shop.  And the kids pulled on the receipt as it was printing out, messing up the barcode so badly that the doors wouldn't open when we tried to leave.  Security eventually took pity on me and just let us go.  So, so glad my second experience was not my first.

And here is where I post quirky grocery pictures!

This is my favorite ad in the grocery store...

 ...and this is my favorite guy in the ad.  The fish guy is a close second.

Taking the escalator to the second floor! 

Bagged salads make muscles!

Thumbs up for water! 

I'm not sure what kind of juice this is, but it's gross. 

I bought the spicy ketchup on accident, but we all kind of like it.

List of things we have found here that we never saw when we lived here before:

cilantro

brown sugar (crazy expensive)

salsa (but it's illusive!)

tortilla chips

tortillas (pretty gross, but we were spoiled by freshly made tortillas during our three years in Texas)

maple syrup (crazy expensive)

List of things I still haven't been able to find (but I still might if I keep looking!  Who knows?):

onion powder

vanilla extract
shredded coconut
molasses
Worcestershire sauce

Kiddo's Assembly (and Our One-Month Russia Anniversary)

my favorite mural at the kids' school

Every Friday there is some sort of assembly at the kids' school, for various grades and a variety of reasons.  I got a call from Kiddo's teacher Friday afternoon telling me that she had asked him last minute if he would give part of a presentation in the assembly.  I hurried over to the school so I could see his presentation.  He did it like a champ.

Sorry for all the dead space at the end of the video; they were having technical difficulties.

Also, it was pajama day.

Today marks our one-month anniversary in Russia. It still doesn't quite feel like home yet, but we're adjusting: Kiddo had a speaking part in the school assembly; BG went to a classmate's birthday party today; We all eat Russian food like it's normal. It may not seem like much, but it is. We still have some adjusting to do, but I'm pretty proud of how our family has done so far.

Sunrise from our dining room

(my kids get up too early!)